Chapter 166

When they neared the main lodge, they saw Laxus and Ajax racing towards them. One look at their condition, and the two men swore out loud.

"They got you good," remarked Laxus as he watched Killian picking up the shirt from the front of the porch and pulling it on his skin, even though it hurt like a little bitch when the fabric brushed against his wounds.

"They always do, don t they?" Killian remarked as he headed inside the main lodge, looking quite severely annoyed because every time he moved, he would pull his wound.

He raised his head and looked at Inez because the second he stepped inside, he could sense her looking at him. The second he saw Inez s eyes widen, he knew that he looked like a mess because that was the kind of look that Inez reserved only when things were much worse than she had anticipated.

Call him Mister Romantic if you want to, but he noticed things about her, alright?

Inez made a beeline for him, and he knew that she wanted to heal him.

"I don t need it." Inez halted and looked at him as if she were about to contradict him. And as her eyes shifted, he could see that she looked slightly hurt. As if he had rejected her. "I am not saying that I don t need your help, but there is someone who needs your help much more than I do."

As he spoke, Ryder and Miles stepped inside the main lodge; the two of them were supporting Henley.

The shifter s back was covered in countless boils and burns, all thanks to some nasty spell that the witches had used when his back was turned on them. Even though it was not enough to take his life, it was enough to seriously injure him.

"Shit, Henley," Fenric cursed when he saw the wounds on Henley s back. The man had just arrived at the main lodge after he received word through the pack bond that everything was safe.

Behind him was Ally, who looked a bit downcast but just as worried. She flicked her wavy, blonde hair out of her face and questioned, "Can just anyone tell me what s going on? Why were we asked to stay in the lodge when we could have joined the fight?"

Inez was quite surprised when she heard the literal personification of the Starbie doll say that she wanted to join the fight. However, she didn t have the time to care about Ally. She turned to look at Ryder and said to him, "Bring him to the office and lay him down."

No one questioned her, as healers were said to be one of the mysterious beings of the shifter community. They were known for their secrecy, as healers didn t want their skills to be seen. Not because they feared that their skills would be copied, but because it was rumoured that seeing a healer at work would drive a person into madness, it was all due to the healers using divine beasts, whom only the healer could see.

If someone without a bond or mark saw them, they would either go blind or, worse, mad.

As no one wanted to go mad, they helped Henley to the office and tied his eyes with a blindfold to make sure that he, too, would not see the divine beast or spirit.

However, once everyone was gone, Inez walked over and then stuffed Henley s ears with cotton. As she turned to take the noise cancellation earmuffs from Killian, she heard Henley say, "What s the need for this?"

"Just some extra caution." Inez made a random excuse as she took the hand of the man in hers. Behind her, she could hear Killian s growl with possessiveness leaking from it; however, Inez ignored it. She parted her lips and sang.

"Come to the shore, where sorrow dies,

Beneath the moon and velvet skies.

Waves shall cradle your aching pain,

And wash your wounds like summer rain."

"My voice is balm and my breath is light,

I sing your soul back into flight.

Drift where the night dissolves the day, noveldrama

Let the tide take the grief away."

"Soft are the shells that whisper low,

Where the broken heart begins to grow.

The sea remembers, the sea forgives,

In every note, the spirit lives."

"Hush now, hush, the storm is done,

The stars have stitched what pain has undone.

Let the salt mend what time had torn,

In song, the lost are the once more born."

"Let the waters wave your skin,

Breathe deep and heal from deep within.

With every word, I pull you near.

You will rise anew; have no fear."

As she finished the last quivering note, the burn wounds on Henley were gone, and Inez, who had stood up suddenly, almost fell back on the floor because of the energy that she had to use to heal Henley s wounds.

"Careful there," said Killian as he helped her up.

Henley, who sensed that the healing was over, took off the blindfold and the earmuffs. He saw how pale Inez looked and flashed her a guilty smile. "I am really sorry about this."

"This is what I should do," Inez waved her hand and dismissed his gratitude. She then turned to look at Killian and said to him, "I can heal the rest of them as well."

"There is no need. Their wounds are all surface wounds. By the time you have stepped out of the room, they will have partially healed." Killian insisted, knowing that she was weak from healing Henley. When the woman looked like she was about to argue, he said, "Why don t you go and take a look?"

Inez shot him a suspicious look, but nonetheless, she walked out of the office, only to see the rest of the enforcers vociferously discussing what happened outside in the clearing.

She could hear Ryder recounting the tale. However, they were already healing; Inez felt that their healing was too slow and insisted that she would heal them, which slowly drove Killian insane.